In U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,502, G. T. Dupre and T. M. DeMarco, assigned to the same assignee herein, there is described a compact, multi-stage vaccum particle separator mounted on a single unit with all three separator stages directing the separated particles into a single removable dump hopper. Reference may also be made to U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,664, G. T. Dupre, T. M. DeMarco et al., assigned to the same assignee herein, wherein there is described an improved compact, multi-stage vacuum type particle separator. Each of these vacuum separator units are useful for separating, collecting and conveying wet or dry particulate material such as sand, metal and wood chips, gravel, slag, cement, plastic pellets, mill scale, etc. as occur in foundries and other manufacturing or service facilities.
These units incorporate a centrifugal separator for removing the heaviest material; a linear separator stage for accelerating the lighter particulate material downwardly through an orifice into an elongated chamber for separation and collection of the lighter particulate material and enabling the airstream to exit the chamber through the orifice; and an air filter stage including a filter element receiving the exiting airstream from the chamber for removing the lightest of the particulate material.
While these aforementioned vacuum type particle separator units perform entirely satisfactorily, it has been desired to provide an even more compact, portable vacuum particle collector or separator apparatus which can still efficiently perform in a manner equivalent to that of the prior units.